Entertainment
I’m a Celebrity 2021: Rumoured line up, start date, location and more with Jade Thirlwall, Jake Wood and Eric Cantona potentially heading into the castle
This would be a dream line-up (Picture: ITV/Rex)
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will be back at Gwrych Castle later this year with a host of stars braving the elements in North Wales.
Thanks to the pandemic, it’s still a bit tricky for the crew to get over to Australia for filming so the show is returning to the fortress for the second year in a row.
ITV is remaining optimistic about another series in a castle instead of the usual jungle setting, and it’ll really come down to the cast they have setting up camp.
Giovanna Fletcher won last year with the likes of Jordan Noth, Vernon Kay, Mo Farah and Russell Watson taking part.
This year, former footballers and drag queens could be holed up with girl group royalty and soap stars.
Here’s the best of the rumoured lineup for this year – and it’s one we’d be delighted with!
Who is in the lineup of I’m A Celebrity 2021?
Of course, we don’t know for sure yet – but there’s a great list of names being rumoured for the castle this year.
Some of them (we’re looking at you, Jake Wood) have been heavily rumoured, while others have simply said they’re keen.
Let’s take a closer look…
Richard Arnold
Richard could head head into the castle (Picture: ITV)
Good Morning Britain star Richard Arnold could follow in his co-star Kate Garraway’s footsteps after previously admitting he’d love to get involved.
‘It’s a great show, it’d be great to be a part of,’ he said in May. ‘Well, I’ve got to do the downstairs loo, I’m hoping to get a marble finish so if the offer comes in I’ll do it…
‘I wouldn’t officially rule it out. I’ve never experienced anyone who’s come out of it and said they’ve had any regrets.’
Olivia Attwood
Olivia would find I’m A Celebrity ‘less scary’ than Dancing On Ice (Picture: Scott Garfitt/Rex)
Love Island and Celebrity Karaoke Club star Olivia Attwood is no stranger to reality TV, and this is another one she’d be up for.
‘I’d love to do the jungle. I’d give Dancing on Ice a go, although it does scare me. I’m a bit of a baby, so I don’t like getting hurt,’ she admitted.
‘I feel like the minute I fall over once, I’d be done. I know it sounds dramatic, but I’m just a bit like that. For me, the jungle is less scary. So I’d love to do the jungle.’
What about the castle?
John Barnes
Barnes would be up for anything (Photo: James Williamson, AMA/Getty Images)
Former footballer John Barnes has tested his talents on Strictly Come Dancing in the past, and he’s more than up for I’m A Celebrity.
‘I’ve done a number of shows in my days but nothing as adventurous as I’m a Celeb,’ he said to the Mirror.
‘And to be honest, there’s nothing that I wouldn’t eat or anything I wouldn’t do… I’m fairly easy-going, if they asked me to do something, I’d do it.’
Eric Cantona
Could he be king of the castle? (Photo: Stephane Cardinale, Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Manchester United legend Eric Cantona would be a dream signing for ITV bosses, and they’ve admitted as much.
Richard Cowles – the channel’s director of entertainment – recently spoke at a Royal Television Society Q&A and teased: ‘I just like the idea of Eric Cantona talking in French and coming up with really profound things.’
Don’t we all?
Baga Chipz
Baga would ‘eat anything’ (Photo: Getty)
We’d love to see some of the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK magic take over the castle later this year – and Baga Chipz would be perfect.
She thinks so too, as she told heat magazine: ‘I’m a bit of a lazy cow when it comes to telly. [I’d do] anything where I can sit down, like I’m A Celeb. You can put anything in my gob. I’d get ten stars. I’d eat anything.
‘I don’t think they’d be ready for me. You know how you had your Lady C and your Kim Woodburn? I’d be one of them. I’d be the talking point of the show, put it that way.’
Kieran Hayler
Kieran said last year there had ‘been talks’ (Photo: Getty/ Rex)
Katie Price’s ex husband Kieran Hayler is also game, and he previously hinted there may have been talks with I’m A Celebrity producers.
‘I’d love to go on ‘I’m A Celeb’. I think there have been talks, but I don’t know for sure. I’d love to do it because I’m into the outdoors anyway so for me it would be really cool,’ he told New! magazine.
‘I think it’s just the eating stuff I’d be a bit rubbish at – and it’s closer to home now I’ve heard.’
Jenny Ryan
The Chaser would be more comfortable in Wales (Photo: ITV)
The Case’s Vixen Jenny Ryan is up for going into the castle, and she admitted the Wales setting makes it much more likely.
She previously tweeted: ‘My main reservations about doing I’m A Celeb have always been 1. The Spiders 2. The Snakes 3. The Heat. This could be a big opportunity for ol’ Jenny.’
She’d be following in the footsteps of her Chase co-star Anne Hegerty, who went into the jungle in 2018.
Jade Thirlwall
Could Jade go to into the castle? (Photo: Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images)
Little Mix’s Jade Thirlwall could be free to go into the castle with her bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards both pregnant.
She’s up for it, having previously told Heart FM: ‘I’ll try anything once me, do you know what I mean? I’ll give it a crack.
‘If something smells bad I won’t put it in my mouth, but I am good at creepy crawlies.’
Jake Wood
Jake dropped a pretty big hint (Photo: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Former EastEnders actor Jake Wood will be treading the boards in 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Noel Coward Theatre later this year, but he’d be done in time for I’m A Celebrity.
Ben Shephard asked if he’d be finished with the play and free for the jungle/castle, and Jake replied: ‘Yes, I finish in mid-October.’
He insisted he’d be up for ‘either’ location, and added: ‘I’ve made no secret of that, I’d love to do the jungle.’
When does I’m A Celebrity 2021 start?
We’re yet to get a firm date on the 2021 series, but last year’s I’m A Celebrity kicked off in November.
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The show typically runs from mid-November, so an autumn return is a pretty safe bet for this year.
While announcing the location, ITV simply said: ‘More information about the 2021 series will be released in due course.’
Where is I’m a Celebrity 2021 being filmed?
As we’ve said, this year’s series will be returning to Gwrych Castle in North Wales.
It’s the site of the 2020 series, which was also shifted from the usual jungle camp in Australia due to the pandemic.
More: I’m A Celebrity
Dr. Mark Baker, Chair of the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust, said: ‘I’m absolutely delighted that I’m A Celebrity has chosen Gwrych Castle to be its UK location for the 2021 series.
‘Gwrych Castle is a beautiful grade I listed historic house and a must-see destination for tourists visiting Wales.
‘I’m A Celebrity being here will really help support its ongoing restoration as well as giving the region a much-needed economic boost. We are all very excited to be working with the team again.’
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! returns to ITV later this year.
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